Government’s €382k adds 1 to bird population

A BIRD in the hand is worth... €382,000 actually.

Well, that’s how much the Department of Arts and Heritage spent, with the end result of increasing our national population of male corncrakes by just one bird this year.

According to preliminary census figures released by the department’s National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), this summer’s count recorded 134 calling males — an increase of one on last year. But divisional manager Pat Warner said: “I would take a one-point win this year and a win last year after almost 18 years of a decline.”